Year Summary-- Best of Music, 2008

January--Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, Somewhere Over the Rainbow
February--Ekolu, Ekolu Music. Warren G., I want it all. America, Ventura Highway
March--Ekolu, Honestly. Puressence, Don't Forget to Remember (and others)
April--Katch-a-fire. Love Letter, Skankin (and others)
May--MIKA, Big Girl, Grace Kelly (and others), Bob Marley, Wait in Vain
June--(Park Pop) Morgan Heritage, Raid Roots Dance. Neil Diamond, Coming to America
July--Cold Play, Viva la Vida. Travis, Re-offender.
August--Tracy Chapman, Fast Car. Jeff Buckley, Hallelujah.
September--님은 먼것에, 늦기전에
October--The Avett Brothers, Paranoia in B Major. Van Morisson, Stranded.
November--Alicia Keys, If I ain't got you. Estelle, American Boy.
December--리자, 인연. Paolo Nutini, New Shoes, Rewind. Marc Cohn, Walking in Memphis

Christmas Project 2008

Seven years ago when a friend and I were proselytizing in the neighborhood just behind Korea's Blue House when bumped into a wiry old guy named Kim Ilyong. We spent about 10 minutes talking with him in the street and later visited him at his house which wasn't far from there. We learned he was an artist. His office was littered with scraps of ink-stained chart paper. The walls were just as cluttered--with his finished products--dozens of carefully drawn emblems, poems, songs, and Korean national declarations no doubt. I never anticipated that I'd ever go back to his place but this Christmas proved the occasion. Mr. Kim spent about 6hrs on a Sunday afternoon etching out these wall scrolls for the family. He let me dab the ink.

More creative work

Dreality

To Dream is above all divine
Reality is too full of
Skunk spray
Weary baggy eyes
Cigarrette smoke
Weary ugly lies

Yet Reality will draw a line
Dreams are but fools of
Pungeance
Marrowed bones
Satience
Wind chime tones

On Rice and Opposition

On Opposition

Like pressure cooked rice
I don’t like the intrusive steam
But if that’s what it takes to be edible
(or to realize some dream)
(or do something incredible)
I’ll suffer it thrice

making time for the finer things

It's been a long time since I've put the pen to the page. So this is long past due. I've been feeling a dearth of creativeness since I changed fields from English lit studies to geopolitics. But there is a lot to say about that conflicting world as well. More to come.


Near and Far

Far from the heart of all I have known
Far from its dry blue skies
Its familiar nights
Its rested mornings

Near to the heart that I have not known
Nor could know
At ease in familiarity
Easy in the rest of home


Tracktion

I ain’t getting no tracktion—
In all my action—
Who’s got the action plan man?
Can you pin the day to a post it?
Check off all ‘to do’s’ and boast it?
Can you both eat your turkey and roast it?
And still find time
To relax and recline?
If you can
That’s a real good plan
Man! Look at that Alpha man!
Tracktion

How’s he getting all that traction?
In every action?
How does he do it?
And he still stays so fluid?
Bouncing off street-side stumbling blocks
Picking up girls like wall street stocks
And shooting nines with campus jocks
And still finds a way
To save the day?
If you can
That’s a real good plan
Stan! The original Daoist Man!
Tracktion

Get yourself some—Tracktion

Putting on winters mufflers

Winter is breathing down our necks here now. The locals say fall in Korea has been getting shorter. That's too bad because it's the best season here. The winds have started to pick up, the sky is clear blue, and the air is fresh and crisp. The local grasshoppers have been sneaking in our bathroom to stay warm at night. It's nice to have that small piece of nature close. With the oncoming cold I've instinctively started growing out my hair. I've got a nicer set of mufflers this year than I've had for years.

New pad in Anam-dong Seoul

Living spaces in Korea are as hilly and small as I remember.

quote for the day

"Work is love made visible" Kahlil Gibran

for Wondu, stepping back to Arsi

Wondu...if you are looking at these, you've successfully followed the link. Now click on 'post a comment' and tell me what you think. Naguma! ('goodbye' right?)

In the Heart of Seoul

I wrote a peom about this city a while ago. Now than I'm back it comes to mind again.

In Korea again
Back in the must of that sultry city
Back in the whiff of its kimchi-filled gutters
Fermenting the more
Back to the winter winds of Siberia
Brushing down city-street funnels
With no where else to go
Biting a long European nose
Two wickets in the middle of so much noise
Hello sir, are you in peace?
Busy
Hello sir, have you ever seen this book?
Go somewhere else
Are you in peace?
Ahh, Veywe goo Koereea.
Fighting the cold out of our knuckles
With morning study
With desire to fill up the time
Between breakfast and dwenjjang with love
Shall we try some hymns?
Then the story comes out.
We move to France for a moment
Where the brother used to sing hymns
Where the people’s hearts seemed colder
Than a Siberian winter
There they would find a missing link
In the warmth of those sacred notes.
The notes, on key and off, resonated
Resonated like a revolution waiting to break
Resonance is the magic of the moment
At a five-way interchange in downtown Seoul
Two wickets with a quiet, abiding resonance
In the middle of so much noise.

remnants and rembrants of europe

yeah, its taken me a while to get this post up but for what its worth these are the top six photo's of the trip per country--one for each. europe certainly had its virtues--its own jewels and gem and it certainly shines more than Seoul in the summer but that's probably just a bad comparison altogether.

conclusions and things we (aubri and i) learned: one month is not enough. (never is when you travel). the eurail pass is only worth it if you cheat the system by not reserving a seat. (perhaps they account for this when the attach the price). Couch surfing is the best way to travel--we met really amazing people and stayed for free in their homes. (but keep it a secret please--if CS keeps growing the way it has been the site is going to crash and then their will be a lot of homeless travelers.) the Notre Dame offers free wifi. Italian food is good everywhere you just get more of it in germany (same is true of the ice-gellato). Not even rome is pleasant when the temp is 106˚. Paris is pretty to look at, much more so than London but neither have the zip nor zest of Amsterdam. Florence and Rome fall into a different category. King Louis was brilliant (Aubri disagrees on this one). If you were to take all of the thousands of flat-screen tv's, beamers, living room tile and ceiling plaster, the cheap reprints and amenities etc. of middle class living and put all those people in grass huts and put then to work in stone, glass, and gardening--well then our generation could have something really amazing and lasting to leave for our children--a 21st century Verseillies. Instead it all goes to the landfill. The Ufiitzi in Florence probably speaks great depth to the art history major but for me the Rijiks and Van Gogh museums in Amsterdam were the best. Rembrant's clarity and contrast convey a real depth of talent but nothing slapped me in the face with the emotional tug like Van Gogh's 'potatoe eaters' and 'crows'. Michelangelo's Pieta was breathtaking. Its a shame they have to keep it behind the plastic wall. If you are a Mormon you should know about Zolichfen even if you've never heard of Bern or Geneva. Toblerone sells a 10kilo chocholate bar. The coolest single place was stonehenge--tragically so. Its got fences and ropes a busy freeway running past and they want $16 for to just walk up to the rope. From the free dirt road 100 yards off the stones are much smaller but its quite, tourist free and out there across the rolling wheatgrass feilds, when the sun sets and shines on the stones the soul of the place comes alive. We were told they let crazy enthusiasts in on the summer and winter solstice for sunrise--and then you can actually touch the rocks. Perhaps we'll have to go back.

software

i'm just rolling out of bed at 12:30. can't afford this. not any more. the light on the banyon tree outside is already high and dull. the morning winds have died to a lull. why do they trim that grass so much. i'll just have to ignore it. there are bigger fish to fry today and class starts in an hour. the longest class of the week. 합반. 난 왜이래...기운이 왜없을까...부분적으로...well that's a good sign. I'm thinking in korean more. miles to go before I sleep though. and i just got up. maybe those smoothies aren't helping. she said not to drink cold stuff. makes sense really. all the cold soaking up all the heat in the pit of the stomach. some pepperment oil should help. and that toe. more filing and more tea-tree oil. can't expect things so bad to get well in a day or after just one application. it took years to get that way. i've got to be willing to wait it out--see it out to the end. that's that kind of fasting Isaiah ment in 58. breaking from food was layer one. though i need to do that too. haven't done that in a while. well theres only room for so much. what was all that about josh and i moving that fridge around. dreams. all night moving a fridge. no wonder i'm still exhausted. and didn't in end with the fridge in the same place it started. yikes. only up to minutes and already its throbbing. enough thinking. be don't think. give those wires a break. hot water. that's what i need. and some bob marley too. i don't want to wait in vain. knock knock knock. 'and I still can knock some more'. yeah i need to knock more. 6 more months gone and i haven't knocked on any doors. cute enough girls here. byron's right. 'in time' doesn't mean 'in eternity'. and the Lord won't move a parked car. oh old joe. he was right. and he's in fifth gear now with marilyn. alright. enough of the should dos. got to stop shoulding myself. class in just less than an hour. hot water and then get to it.

the miracle of gl

It occured to me yesterday during and acupucture appointement that the words we use to describe what we feel are surprisingly limited. After twenty minutes of free-flowing gi it wasn't peace or tranquility or sublimity. It was like something in a song. Like I was feeling tamberine. Maybe borrowing from the world of music could help us hit home a little closer to what we feel. Some days are too full of trumpet. Some moments to heavy on the bass.

Easter Poem

On Easter

Sad face faceted to a wall she sings
Of bitter-sweet memories the things she brings
The things she brings so long and tall
Faceted with her to that self-same wall

The wall within has unseen cracks
That yielded to a thousand backs
Upon the day of spring will glide
To glorious heaven in glorious chariot ride

The chariots wheels are bright on fire
With faith that’s bought with hands in mire
The spinning flame will catch the gaze of all
Who are faceted with doubts upon the wall

The wall will break in one mighty blow
When the trumpets blare their hope to sow
And crumble down to dust in wondrous heap
Setting free the limbs of those that sleep

When those that sleep with watery eyes
Fall to their knees to see the skies
Will sing in round eternal voice
And vengeance from the grave rejoice

The things she brings within in her stay
And will not falter, fracture, fray
The wall without hence broken up
Can-not, will-not fill her cup

The body light now moving free
Marrowed, boned, skinned entity
Without she moves in visual grace
Within she hides an haggard face

Face faceted to a callous wall
Face feeling, failing in bitter gall
Bellows out a melody
That puts without within—mercy!

And then a second time the wall
Will fracture, tumble, crash and fall
Bright chariot wheels will flash the sky
And by the rounds reflect her eye.

Twice He was crossed to heal her face
Without, within, twice healed by grace.

Buddha's Joy revisited

I think I may have found one of the reasons for last summers out-raged californians. We have Mitt Romney to blame. http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1638065,00.html. This was just a week and a bit before our incident. And yeah, we were sporting Utah plates.